Matters Temples & Shrines

From Sun Daily:

Worshipper at temple dressed as Muslim apologises

PARIT BUNTAR: Fisherman Lim Lip Kok today tenders an open apology to all Muslims in the country for his indiscretion in conducting a ritual at a temple dressed like a Muslim as viralled lately.

Lim, 43, said he deeply regretted his action which had offended Muslims and Malays and promised not to repeat the action.

“I apologise, I apologise, I apologise. My action was not deliberate and had no intention to bring discomfiture to Malaysians and offended the feelings of the Malays,“ he told a media conference at the Tanjung Piandang Village Development and Security Committee Hall here today.

Lim’s offer of apology was made in Mandarin and translated by the Tanjung Piandang Kampung Bagan South Community Consensus Council secretary Cheah Han Boon.

On June 7, a recording of a man performing a ritual at the Datuk Kong Temple, Taman Piandang Indah, Tanjung Piandang, wearing a white skull cap and batik sarong viralled and result in disgruntlements among Muslims.

Meanwhile, Tanjung Piandang Mosque’s Religious Bureau chairman Mohd Yusop Budin said the mosque committee had decided in a discussion to accept the apology to avoid a rift.

Wakakaka, I personally believe Mr Lim Lip Kok meant no offence, and I am glad Tanjung Piandang Mosque’s Religious Bureau chairman Mohd Yusop Budin has accepted his apologies.

Blokes like Mr Lim fallaciously believe they will/would score extra brownie points with the 'Dato' Kong' or 'Keramat' they worship if they don kopiah whilst praying. The kopiah is of course known to local Chinese and Indians as the 'Haji' cap, and some superstitious Chinese (and sometimes even Indians) associate the 'Datuk Kongs' with Malays.

Yes, sometimes these Chinese (and Indians) even refrain from partaking of pork on certain 'holy Dato' Kong events' out of respect for the 'Keramats'.

Datuk Putih 

The sarong was of course a no-starter (not an issue) as most Malaysians in kampongs would wear one, like my late father or his brothers and mateys. I too would sometimes wear one when at home on hols - it's portable and free air-conditioning, wakakaka.

But the kopiah was the sticking point for Mr Lim to walk away without an appropriate apology to Muslims. He probably did not realise that nowadays anything Islamic is ultra sensitive. No non-Muslim can simply wear a kopiah for fun. According to our limited understanding, kopiah as 'Haji' caps are only worn by Muslims who had/have performed the Haj.

However, I should point out the mistake of the Sun Daily reporter in describing the shrine as a 'temple'.

As we know of the word 'temple' there are two aspects that go against the reporters description, namely:

(a) size - we normally associate temples as being large buildings, not mere mini sheds by the roadside, and

Kuan Im Temple, Penang

the MOST sacred temple to Chinese Buddhists in Penang 

Reclining Buddha Temple Penang
(Wat Chayamangkalaram)

Thean Hou Temple

worshipping Mazu, Chinese Goddess of the Sea (Shen-ism)

most "feared" by Mahathir (wakakaka)

when he launched Ops Lalang on 27 Oct 1987, he said (words to the effect) that it boded no good to the nation when Chinese (DAP, Gerakan, MCA, SUPP, Dong Zong, etc) gathered together in a Chinese temple (to protest the appointment of non-Mandarin speaking teachers as headmasters of vernacular schools), alluding to the rebellion of the famous Shaolin Temple in China against the then Manchu government, wakakaka

actually it was NOT the temple where the Chinese had a meeting to protest the new government education policy but at the Hainanese Association Building beside the temple, but WTF, why killed the romantic story-line of Shaolin rebels, wakakaka

but beneath that bullshit cover of the Chinese "plotting rebellion" the real problem confronting then-PM Mahathir then was his UMNO constitutional crisis, his questionable victory over Ku Li, and the court's reluctance to validate his 'victory' - someone had to be the scapegoat and distraction for his political problem 

(b) religious denominations - temples are usually associated with (from a Chinese perspective) Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shen-ism (Chinese folk beliefs), whilst shrines are usually for Keramats (Dato' Kongs, etc).

No harm done though, so long as we deny "someone" his Shaolin-fantasy-phobia, wakakaka.